Recently, Scentre Group Leasing Executive Megan Johnson celebrated a very special career milestone. We sat down with Megan to hear reflections on her career so far, and her hopes and aspirations for the future.

Tell us, what were your earliest roles with Westfield?

My journey began at Westfield Parramatta where I started as a Marketing Assistant. In those early days, the role required me to be a ‘jack-of-all-trades’. It inspired me to be creative, coming up with weekly promotions that kept the centre top of mind for our customers as a place to visit and spend their time.

A year later, I moved to Westfield Hurstville as Marketing Manager, and then to Westfield Eastgardens where I was Marketing Manager for the grand opening in 1987.

It was at Westfield Eastgardens where I began my transition to leasing. Starting in what was then known as ‘kiosk leasing’, I moved on to become a Leasing Executive, followed by a decade as Regional Leasing Manager. During my career, I’ve worked with many of our destination teams across Sydney and am now part of the team at Westfield Burwood.

Can you share some of your career highlights and achievements?

One of my proudest moments was the opening of Westfield Eastgardens in 1987 – complete with red carpet – and my four years at the centre as Marketing Manager. Another highlight was working on the Westfield Burwood development in 1998, culminating in the opening of 240 shops in one day, ahead of the Sydney Olympics in 2000. I also worked on the Westfield Hornsby redevelopment and later, the original development of Westfield Bondi, it’s incredible to think that that was 20 years ago!

My time at Westfield Bondi will always be memorable because it was during that role that I began another very important chapter in my life, as a new mum to my son Larry.

What are your observations about how the industry has changed?

The rise of experiential retail is a significant trend. We can see that ‘experiential consumption’ is driving both sales growth and customer visitation across our Westfield destinations.

Today, about 45% of the stores across our portfolio are experience-based and can only be consumed in-centre. The stores span a broad range of categories like dining, entertainment, health and wellness, fitness, beauty and education.

We see experiential retail as being here to stay – in fact, it is something that will continue to evolve over time as our Westfield destinations shift and change in line with the needs and expectations of the communities we’re part of.

What is it about the team that keeps you so engaged?

Personally, it’s the diversity and challenge that comes with the work and the collective drive for success that make this company a unique and rewarding place to be.

If I had to pick one thing that I enjoy most, I’d say the people; there’s genuine collaboration and that’s a great attribute of the business, along with the company’s focus on teamwork, the trust we place in each other and the friendships forged over the years.

For the past ten years of my career at Scentre Group, it’s really clear that the company Purpose – creating extraordinary places, connecting and enriching communities – is visible through everything we do. In fact, we reflected as a company on the ten-year milestone and a lot of what keeps people engaged and excited is that our destinations and our business keep evolving and changing over time.

Megan’s first week as Marketing Assistant, Westfield Parramatta

What excites you about the future?

It’s an incredibly exciting time to be part of the company because everyone is playing a role paving the way forward and changing in line with what our customers want and need.

Back when I started 40 years ago, Westfield was a shopping centre, where people came to do a specific task. Now, we recognise that our centres are more than that – they are located in close proximity to the majority of the population, a part of the community, with transport and civic centres on the doorstep. It’s this proximity that unlocks opportunities for business partners and makes Westfield the place they want to be to connect with customers.

When we look at our destinations, we ask ourselves, what can we do so that customers choose to visit and spend more of their time with us? What products, services and experiences should we have that meet the needs of our customers? And what could we be doing to introduce new and diverse experiences that mean people choose to spend their time at Westfield? With customers at the heart, this is always changing, which is what makes it exciting.

Have you had any moments in your 40 years where you’ve seen something come full-circle?

It’s actually a really good question. When I think about my time at Parramatta as Marketing Assistant, essentially what I was doing was creating reasons for people to come and visit. Now, in 2024, our Plan is based on the same idea – creating the places and experiences more people want to come, more often and for longer. One thing is for sure – the scale of our activations and partnerships has changed. We have launched a partnership with the Australian and New Zealand Olympic and Paralympic Teams which will see our destinations transform into the local Olympic village hubs for the Olympic and Paralympic games this year. And while it will enable us to connect with people on a much larger scale, the unique capability to activate our destinations being at the core of what we do is still much the same as it was 40 years ago for me in my very first role at Westfield Parramatta.

Megan at Sydney 2000 Olympic Games

What would be the one thing that’s contributed to your own career success these past 40 years?

I think there’s also a lot to be said for developing lasting relationships. Reflecting on my 40 years, I’m really proud of the relationships that may have started ten or 20 years ago that continue to this day.

The way we communicate has changed dramatically and technology has enhanced how we do things. I have learned that relationships are a two-way street and have devoted much care and commitment to both our business and our business partners’ success to try to get the best outcome for all stakeholders, so we succeed together.

As I look back on four decades with Westfield and now Scentre Group, I am grateful for the opportunities, the achievements, and the people who have been part of my incredible journey.

Megan Johnson

This article is featured in the latest edition of SCN – view the full digital magazine here.